Lisbon, May 25, 2026 (Lusa) – The leader of Portugal's Civil Aviation Pilots’ Union (SPAC) said on Monday that he viewed TAP’s improved results “favourably” and expressed concern about the potential impact on staff should Lufthansa acquire a stake in the company.
Hélder Santinhos told Lusa during the ConfCAQ 2026 - Conference on Cabin Air Quality that he views the quarterly results released on Monday "favourably."
TAP Air Portugal's losses fell to €39.9 million in the first quarter of the year. The airline attributes this recovery to the performance of markets such as South and North America.
It highlighted an 11% growth in operating revenues to €914.4 million compared to the same period last year, driven mainly by increased ticket revenues and improved unit revenues amid a 3.9% capacity growth, the company said in a statement.
"What we want is for companies to be as successful as possible," Santinhos said, adding that SPAC has always maintained that TAP is a profitable company.
He said that the Portuguese airline's past problems stemmed from political decisions and Covid-19, which "fortunately had some good aspects", referring to the divestment of TAP's maintenance business in Brazil.
"With this burden gone, it does not surprise me at all that TAP's results are good," he said.
Interested companies think strategically, meaning these results "will not have a major influence" on the privatisation process, he said.
"They [Lufthansa and Air France-KLM] see the importance of Portugal, the company's cost structure, and our way of working. We have very good professionals, pilots and maintenance staff," he said.
"Both companies are highly committed to the privatisation and will submit proposals regardless of the results," Santinhos stated.
He declined to express a preference regarding the interest of either company, saying he is "very concerned" about how Lufthansa approaches labour relations.
The SPAC sent a letter to the minister of Infrastructure and Housing in April, stating its support for the reprivatisation of TAP, but only if potential buyers demonstrate "solid competence" on technical, financial, and labour grounds.
The union expressed specific concern regarding Lufthansa's relationship with VC Cockpit, the main German pilots' union. SPAC pointed to "attitudes of disregard for agreements in force" and "unethical anti-union tactics which, if imported to TAP, would seriously compromise industrial peace and the efficiency of the Lisbon Hub."
"This leads us to believe there is a strategy to neutralise the power of unions. We have raised this concern with the government because the last thing TAP needs is labour unrest in a post-privatisation period," Santinhos stated.
He said that he has not received any response from the government.
Air France-KLM and Lufthansa remain in the race to reprivatise TAP, after IAG, the owner of Iberia and British Airways, decided not to submit a proposal.
Interested parties must submit binding bids by July in this third phase of the tender.
The government intends to divest up to 49.9% of the company's capital, with 44.9% allocated to a reference investor and up to 5% reserved for workers. The tender process will evaluate the price, industrial plan, connectivity, and the buyer's financial capacity.
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Lusa
